|
Our Charis Family
Celia Sorensen
Tom and
Celia Sorensen with their Children:
Shelby (age 11), John (age 8), Tommy (age 5), Malena (age 3) and
Maggie (age 1).
My name
is Celia Sorensen and I just started the Charis Doula program this
August. I have 5 children whom I homeschool, ages 11 down to
our youngest, who just turned one. Our home is in the
mountains of North Georgia in Dahlonega. However, we just
moved to Lakeland, Florida for 6 months with a job opportunity for
my husband. We are living in a small home with one bathroom
and a small yard, but so far we are content in our new adventure.
We lived here once before, so it is a joy to reunite with many dear
friends, but I cannot wait to return home. We have only been
in Florida for a week, but already I am seeing God's hand on this
move, despite my fear and trepidation.
I have had one hospital birth, 1 birth center birth, and 3
homebirths in both Florida (where it is legal) and Georgia (where it
is not). I first became interested in everything to do with
birth when I took a Childbirth Class with my first child. At
the time, my instructor was also pregnant and was planning a VBAC
homebirth with a midwife, and I thought she was crazy. My, how time,
experience and more information have changed my heart! Also
due to problems breastfeeding with my first child, and being alone
in a big city and having no idea how to take care of a newborn baby,
I am also very interested in helping women as a post partum doula,
in addition to being a labor doula.
Until just a month ago, I had no intentions of doing anything with
any of these interests, except perhaps to take a meal to a new mom
or really hope that one day a friend would invite me to her birth so
that I could see my first birth. Then one day on Facebook, my
old midwife mentioned Kristin Schuchmann's Blog because I love to talk about
food and share recipes, and she said that there were many healthy
and good recipes on the site. After I read a few recipes, I
began poking around more and read what Charis was all about, the
mission statement, ministry, the programs, etc. and it was as if God
had suddenly taken all these loose strands in my life and tied them
together so that I could see what I believe He is calling me to be -
a Doula! It was such an exciting moment for me. What
especially confirmed this calling was when I told my 11 year old
daughter and she was just as excited as I was. She now has
plans to be a Doula and work with me when she grows up.
I am very much pro-life, but I have never really done much to help
mothers during this confusing time in their lives. I am hoping
one day to be a Doula for crisis pregnancies and help mothers choose
life for their children. I love the idea of helping and
ministering to them. God may have other plans for me that He
will reveal later down the road, but even if I can help only one
mother, all of the time and effort of becoming a doula will be worth
it to me. This is the first time in my life that I have
actually looked forward to school work, and I am excited to get
started! Hopefully I will get to meet some of you in the
Charis family soon.
Baby
Malena and Celia
Mamma
Celia with Tommy, Maggie, John and Malena
Celia, Malena, Shelby, John, Tommy and Pappa Tom
Baby Maggie is there too, nestled inside her Mamma, not yet born.
Our Friends ~ Our Family
We'd love to feature you in newsletters to come!
|
Charis Cuisine
Live Popsicles with a Crunch
Staying Cool in
Summer Heat
|
To make the
popsicles:
1. Blend the ingredients in a blender.
2. Stir in the last ingredient listed for texture.
3. Pour into small paper cups and freeze for six
hours.
Watermelon-Lemon-Cilantro
3 cups cubed watermelon
5 pitted dates
1 lemon, juiced
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Crunchy
Coconut-Banana
3 medium bananas
1 Thai coconut (water and meat)
3 pitted dates
1 stalk (rib) celery, thinly chopped
Spicy Chunky
Pineapple
2 cups cubed fresh pineapple
1 cup apple juice
1 lemon, juiced
½ jalapeno pepper
1 cup thinly chopped pineapple
Creamy Crunchy Mango
3 mangos peeled and seeded
½ ripe avocado
6 pitted dates
1 lemon, juiced
¼ cup crushed walnuts |
Staying Cool in
Summer Heat
A collection of smart ideas on how to survive in very hot
weather
If you anticipate being outside in the heat for an extended
period of time, make sure to pack extra water.
Over hydrate! When you are thirsty, it means that your body
is already dehydrated. Water, sun tea, green juices, and
green smoothies are the best way to hydrate. Stay away from
anything with caffeine or alcohol, as they expedite the
urination process, which makes your body lose more fluids.
Ball up and soak a t-shirt in the sink, wring it out, put it
on. Re-wet as it dries. Using this
wet t-shirt method allows you to even be cool not to using air conditioning
even on the hottest days.
If you don’t want to have your entire body wet, you may
wear a short sleeved shirt and put water on the sleeves. If
you are outside and wearing long pants and you put water on
your legs, the water will cool your legs.
Fill your bathtub with cool water and get in. Your body will
stay cool for a long time after you get out. Sometimes on a hot day
you can take a cold plunge
every two hours.
To quickly cool off, soak your feet in a bucket of cold
water. You can do it almost anywhere. The body radiates heat
from the hands, feet, face and ears, so cooling any of these
will efficiently cool the body.
Try mint to cool your skin. Soak a sprig of mint in a quart
jar overnight or add a few drops of mint essential oil to
it. Then spray the minty water onto your skin using a spray
bottle. Avoid your face and eyes, as mint can cause
irritation. Shower with peppermint soap and use a minty
water for your foot soak. Mint refreshes the skin and
leaves a nice cooling sensation.
Point a fan into a large bowl or platter filled with ice
water and ice cubes, or frozen water bottles. The cooler air
will go out! This can help work as a temporary AC system.
Eat spicy food, such as ginger or cayenne. It's not a
coincidence that many people in hotter regions of the world
eat spicy food. Spicy (hot to the taste) food increases
perspiration which cools the body as it evaporates.
Think cool. Read books about climbing Mount Everest,
visiting Norway, or watch "March of the Penguins", "Ice
Age", or "The Day After Tomorrow". You might not be
physically cooler, but if your mind envisions a cold
environment, you might feel a bit cooler.
Set up a water misting system that connects to an ordinary
garden hose that can be found at home improvement stores.
Then, just sit there and let the mist cool you off.
Slice a thin piece of cold cucumber (from the fridge or a
cooler) and stick it in the middle of your forehead! This
feels fantastic on a hot day or when stuck in a hot car, and
works almost immediately!
Turn off the hot stuff. Switch off your computer and lights
when not in use.
Prepare sun tea. Leave some herbs such as mint, hibiscus,
calendula, chamomile, or simply herb tea bags in a glass jar
of water and let it warm on the window sill or on a deck for
2-4 hours.
Eat small, light meals, and foods high in water content,
such as fruits & vegetables. Don’t forget the organic frozen
banana ice cream and tasty easy-to-make popsicles. (see the recipes
above) Remember to keep the fridge
closed as much as possible--the more it's open, the more
energy it uses and the more heat it releases.
From the awesome
Raw Family
website
|
